Lancashire Cricket Board: 6 Months On – Heywood CC Continue to Feel the Benefits
6 Months On – Heywood CC Continue to Feel the Benefits
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Dipesh Asher on 09/11/2012 11:34:00
Over six months on from hosting the NatWest CricketForce Showcase event Heywood
Cricket Club are continuing to feel the benefit of the initiative.
NatWest CricketForce is an England and Wales Cricket Board volunteering
initiative aimed at rejuvenating cricket facilities throughout England and
Wales. The initiative encourages cricket supporters, their friends and families
to give back to their local cricket club by volunteering to undertake renovation
work in club houses and grounds, typically over a specific weekend before the
season starts.
Heywood ran a very successful NatWest CricketForce event before the 2012 cricket
season started and they continue to reap the benefits six months down the line.
The club are about to install a new kitchen, new carpets throughout and replace
all of the ceiling tiles in the main lounge at their club house. All the
materials for these jobs have been donated as part of NatWest CricketForce 2012.
Even the poor summer, which affected the cricket like all clubs up and down the
country, hasn’t dampened bar takings with draft accounts showing an increase
by over 30% on the previous year.
On the field the club had a great season, with the 1st XI just missing out on
the title in The Lake Garage Central Lancashire League and the 2nd XI having
their best season for over 15 years reaching the Burton Cup Final and finishing
3rd in the league.
In terms of junior cricket the club was able to introduce an Under 9's side for
the first time and junior membership increased by over 25% on the previous year.
Bobby Cross from Heywood CC said: “This can be put down to several factors,
the increased membership, the ‘feel good factor’ around the club and the
success of the teams. Undoubtedly the biggest factor however is the improvements
to the facilities that were undertaken as part of the event. The new ladies
toilets have made a huge difference to the feedback we receive after a function
and the general improvements to the function room have made it a warmer and more
attractive place to stage events.
“The people that became involved in CricketForce have stayed involved and the
club committee feels much more comfortable in the knowledge that there are
people out there willing to help if asked.
“It was definitely not an initiative that the club entered into lightly and it
took a tremendous amount of work by a large number of people to make it happen,
but the results speak for themselves. We would do nothing but endorse the
initiative and the help and support that comes from ECB and the official
supporters.”
NatWest CricketForce 2013 will take place on the 5th, 6th and 7th April 2013.
For further information about NatWest CricketForce visit: NatWest CricketForce
2013.
Registration for clubs is now open and you can register your club to take part
at: NatWest CricketForce 2013 Club Registration.
Watch a video of Heywood\'s NatWest CricketForce weekend.